Busy December

What a busy month of activity with my art. I only took stands at a couple of fairs, one large and one small and both were fun; of course the large one was loads more work and totally exhausting, the small was delightfully low key. My new hare in the snow print was well received.

I print it in black or prussian blue and have a couple more to print before Christmas.

I entered 3 prints in this exhibition

and was lucky to have my hare at the front of the catalogue. I sold 2 prints but was really surprised to receive the following when I went to collect unsold work. 

Several of the 20 were printmakers, I think it's great to raise the profile of hand pulled print making.I think my work has developed this year; I love combining screen printing and lino cuts which allows for unique prints within a variable edition. One downside is that people have found it hard to choose which version they like best.

Cambridge Contemporary Art is one of my favourite galleries www.cambridgegallery.co.uk They recently asked me for 6 prints to be shown in their Christmas Show, which was exciting! I have had my first sale!

My 2 weekends of my own Christmas Open Studio have been very successful with lovely visitors, some returning and some new. I needed to print some more hare tea towels and aprons for the second weekend. 

The culmination of one visitor from Devon to my Summer 2012 Open Studio was the selection of my blackbird print for his Artist's Cards catalogue (a wholesale card company). He didn't reveal who he was at the time but wrote to me later asking to use it (for a fee of course!).

I'm pleased to see them sold with a contribution to Cancer Research.

Looking at their website I saw that they are out of stock and I've been told that they will re print next year.

To finish on a festive theme you may like this non-alcoholic mulled punch.

1litre red grape juice

1/2 litre orange juice

1/2 litre cranberry juice

10 tbsps demerara sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

8 cloves

2 sliced oranges

2 sliced lemons

1 tsp garum marsala

Tie the spices in a piece of muslin, heat the liquids and dissolve the sugar in a pan. Add the lemon and oranges. Simmer for about 10 minutes, add more sugar if needed and serve warm. This went down well at my open studio, great on a cold day.